SZA shut down rumors that she was paid “six figures” to be a backup headliner in case Justin Bieber cancelled his set at Coachella 2026.
“Lmao who made this up ? I’ve seen this 4 times now,” SZA, 36, declared via Instagram on Saturday, April 11.
The “Luther” singer-songwriter responded to a blind item claiming she’d received “six figures to keep her schedule open for both weekends [of Coachella] — just in case Justin Bieber had to drop out at the last minute.” The post mentioned that, although Bieber, 32, was already been heard sound-checking his performance at the Indio, California, festival, “fans aren’t letting this theory go.”
“I’m in New York no one paid me a dime . Wishing everyone the best,” SZA clarified in the blind item’s Instagram comment section.
A significant amount of mystery indeed surrounds Bieber’s two Coachella sets on Saturday, April 11, and Saturday, April 18. Prior to the festival headlining slot, he’d performed a much more intimate set at The Roxy in West Hollywood in March.
Earlier this week, Us Weekly exclusively learned that Bieber was directly involved in planning nearly every aspect of his Coachella 2026 set.
“He’s been involved in everything all along, from negotiating his own paycheck to working on the show’s creative direction,” a source told Us. “He even helped design the merch that’ll be sold on the grounds — T-shirts, hoodies, hats, etc.”
Bieber meticulously curated his Coachella setlist to celebrate the success of his two Swag albums, in addition to highlighting tracks from his 17-year career.
“Justin is very proud of his Swag albums [released in 2025], so he wants to spotlight them, but he’s also packing his set with old hits that he hasn’t performed in years. He knows the crowd will want to hear those too,” the insider told Us. “He’s been fine-tuning and changing some things as recently as this week. It’s all very fluid, but the bulk of the show is finalized and has been run through.”
Elsewhere on Saturday, Coachella pass-holders enjoyed sets from The Strokes, Addison Rae, David Byrne and Labrinth, among many others.
British punk rockers Lambrini Girls were supposed to be on the Coachella bill on Saturday but they pulled out at the eleventh hour. Frontwoman Phoebe Lunny revealed on Friday, April 10, that she was recently diagnosed with an “acute brain injury” and a fractured neck.
“We have received quite a lot of messages re Coachella, we are so gutted, guys,” Lunny acknowledged. “We want to be there so badly. If it was a broken leg, I would do a Dave Grohl and play it. This isn’t something we are taking lightly and we are really sad. We hope and pray there’s some universe [where] we get to play next year instead … Because it is my neck and brain, our hands are tied for now, but I’m lucky and expect a speedy recovery.”
Friday’s headliner, Sabrina Carpenter, publicly apologized for an off-handed comment during her set where she compared a fan’s zaghrouta chant to a “weird” yodel. (A zaghrouta chant is a common way to express joy in Arabic-speaking countries.)
“My apologies I didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly,” Carpenter wrote via X on Saturday. “My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. Could have handled it better! Now I know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”
Coachella 2026 continues on Sunday, April 12, with headliner Karol G, plus sets from Young Thug, FKA Twigs, Iggy Pop, Wet Leg, Kaskade and many more. The same artists will perform next Sunday, April 18.
